Meryl Streep to Voice Aslan in Gerwig's Narnia

moviesSep 17, 2026422,515

Meryl Streep has been cast as the voice of the lion Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, due 12 February 2027. Gerwig, 43, told Empire she chose Streep, 77, because she wanted “someone who was profound but not pretentious,” combining gravitas with a sense of wonder; Gerwig said she sought an actor older than 70 for wisdom plus fresh wonder. Gerwig said Aslan’s look in the film will draw on David Bowie, including heterochromic eyes and a red stripe across the face. The film will serve as a prequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and adapts C.S. Lewis’s 1950s Magician’s Nephew; Gerwig is shifting the story’s usual early 20th century setting toward post-war 1950s England and weaving in 1960s and 70s British rock influences. The cast also includes Daniel Craig, Carey Mulligan, Emma Mackey, Denise Gough, and younger leads Beatrice Campbell and David McKenna. Gerwig framed the project as a longtime passion, saying she fell in love with the idea of “a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia to life.”

Tressie McMillan Cottom

@tressiemcphd.bsky.social

I just read, "Meryl Streep cast as Aslan" and I gasped. Aslan. Not "Asian". The difference mattered.

102222d ago

Alan Kelly44

She’s the mane star of the movie

Madame Hardy24

(shakes fist at sans-serif fonts)

Oblio 11

Like the difference between Weird Al and Weird AI…

katp2.bsky.social7

Your 14 word post led me through shock, anger, disappointment, befuddlement, and finally, laughter. (Although a little befuddlement remains.) Thank you.

🐦 🐟Antifa 🐈‍⬛ Bus 🐝 Driver 🚌💉💉😷6

I mean, she's no Tilda Swinton...

dynamoxie.bsky.social4

Fun fact: "Aslan" is a Turkish word, but C.S. Lewis was pretty racist against Ottoman people in his books, so everything Narnia is Orientalist at the roots, but so are lots of things, I guess?

Quoting this

David A. Graham30

Can't trust your own lion eyes

Alan Kelly28

She is to be fair an incredibly versatile actor but surely playing 5 male Northside Dublin musicians is a stretch even for her?

Anton Hur25

Is she even part of the furry community???

buy my book8

This also happened to me.

Ash⁷7

Oh my God this took me a couple reads til I got it and wasn't also like whaaaaaaat

Dig Dug7

Estamos cada vez mais próximos dessa

Moosie6

I was literally like “omg remember this movie” to @rumpledchords.bsky.social the other day

More or Les5

This was my exact response as well! But Meryl’s no Scarlett Johansson

babski3

everyone I have mentioned this to has also thought I wrote "Asian" and not "Aslan"

Ev3

Meryl Streep portraying Mickey Rooney in a dramatization of the making of Breakfast at Tiffany's.

∞ Monkeys

@somanymonkeys.bsky.social

My half blind eyes read this as "Meryl Streep cast as Asian" & I was very confused til I clicked it.

44022d ago

hixelbee hicks20

it took me 'til this comment. several wtf moments on the way.

John4

Ok THAT’s what I was fired up about before reading other posts. 🤦‍♂️

ratskrad3

Me too that why I clicked on it as well. In high school I got casted as Aslan in our school production of The Lion the witch and the wardrobe.

Theophrastus Philippus Aureolus Bombastus von hohenheim IV3

Well damn i feel dumb now

Casual Observer2

I am also in this

marvinjamesnl.bsky.social2

Oh I definitely shake your hand on this one! I was really wondering why Meryl Streep would accept a role like that... And it got worse: "Why are you showing me a freakin' lion?" "Oh... Narnia..." "There are specific Asians in Narnia?" "Ooooohhh... AsLan... Right..."

Vanessa Satone

@vsatone.bsky.social

I saw the trending topic "Meryl Streep cast as Aslan" and I did initially read it as "Meryl Streep cast as Asian". 💀

24122d ago

RexMonday16

never thought i'd be so relieved to hear about an Evangelical lion

Ellie wants to ride her bike10

Scarlett Johansson cast as Asian Aslan.

Nathalie Plum7

Same! I screamed "MERYL, No!"

The Smartest Floridian6

I am glad my first exposure to that line is this post. I gotta watch my blood pressure at my age.

Maggie Priceless🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇨🇦2

My dyslexia is way more entertaining than reality.

thoughtwelldeep.bsky.social2

We all did. We wonder at the extent of her talent

Quoting this

Ipsita Chatterjea (she/her)5

I confess my initial reaction was, Meryl!? How could you! ...oh you didn't.

🍺Donald Clarke 🎥

@donaldclarke.bsky.social

Delighted Gerwig has shaken up Narnia: shifting the novel to the 1950s, confirming Streep as Aslan. Because it’s the right thing to do. And because it will annoy people who deserve to be annoyed. www.empireonline.com/movies/news/...

16422d ago

Cathy4

Also, not the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, of which there is a million versions. This could be amazing 🤞

LondonLee1

“I don’t know how you went from David Jones to David Bowie unless you went to Narnia and you saw something" They're called drugs, Greta Sounds good though!

Celiene O'Hara1

I need better glasses! On BlueSky's trending list, I thought it said she was cast as ASIAN, not Aslan! LMAO! Cue the Right Wing KKKristian freak out in 3. 2. 1...

Justin Deegan1

That should help cleanse the pallet ruined by sitting through all of End of Oak Street.

huck mason

@tylerhuckabee.bsky.social

An Aslan voiced by Meryl Streep and inspired by David Bowie ...I'm listening.

9222d ago

Sarah O2

You can't make the God-Lion female! Evangelical heads are gonna explode.

David Breed2

The Shack discourse 2.0 incoming

Jonathan Morgan2

Read this as “an Asian voiced by Meryl Streep” and was just as intrigued

jimbobmcg.bsky.social1

Have conservatives started losing their shit about this yet cause it feels like that can't be far off

Robert Rio1

Yeah that's an auto watch

Wes Rose1

Okay I am now leaning the fuck in

Empire Magazine

@empiremagazine.bsky.social

Greta Gerwig opens the doors to Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew in the new issue of Empire – detailing her revolutionary rock’n’roll adaptation. Here’s your first look at Aslan – and he’s voiced by legend Meryl Streep. On sale Thurs September 24. Read more: www.empireonline.com/movies/news/...

5922d ago

Empire Magazine21

Empire’s exclusive subscriber cover for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is an epic sneak-peek at Aslan literally creating Narnia itself, courtesy of one of the film’s concept artist Jaime Jones. Read more: www.empireonline.com/movies/news/...

💚 12

we’re getting a scaly rainbow-psychedelic Aslan, ok then

Susie2

I first read this as "Meryl Streep cast as Asian" & thought "this isn't going to work." "

Quoting this

Sarah Jones68

my god, the trads are going to lose it

Michael Edwards7

The most insufferable people, boomers, and right wing chuds are going to be 30 times more insufferable about this for the next 5 months

Ariadne Griffin7

Ok, she might be cooking with trans masculine Aslan.

Jess (hunting for Ben Solo)7

im so hyped about this omg

David6

Cast is amazing! Daniel Craig, Denise Gough, Carey Mulligan, Ciaran Hinds, Susan Wokoma, and Meryl! 🤯 Oh shit! The terfs are going to have a meltdown over the gender blind casting 😂

Original Chungus6

I read this as "Streep to voice Asian" and I was expecting her to be in the new Ghost in the Shell or something bsky.app/profile/empi...

Rosejack Queer Art5

Everything about this is going to make conservative Christians SO MAD. I’m delighted. The way they jerk off to CS Lewis…

This burns, was holding out to try and get on set when they were asking me at the same time for HoD 4

Meri Ficcionteca🎬📚3

Aslan cantandole "The Winner Take it All" a la Bruja Blanca.

Claire S.2

Cool so this should work about as well as when Judy Dench played Old Deuteronomy in the CATS movie.

Clay Jones

@clayjones.bsky.social

Meryl Streep will be the voice of Aslan, a fictional character based on a fictional character, in Greta Gerwig’s take on the Narnia book series. A small and very stupid segment of the population is going to act like the world is ending and they will get more media attention than they deserve.

7622d ago

Eric D. Snider

@ericdsnider.bsky.social

I misread "Meryl Streep cast as Aslan" as "Meryl Streep cast as Asian," and I thought, "People will be mad but I bet she can pull it off."

6622d ago

Eric D. Snider9

A glance at the trending topic shows I am not alone in this misreading, though I am the only one who was withholding judgment till we saw the performance.

Wack'd 🏳️‍⚧️

@wackd.bsky.social

"meryl streep cast as asian"???? in 2026? are we still fucking doing thi--*finger to ear* sorry what's that

3522d ago

AlyceMiller2

Aslan, not Asian. Put your glasses on.

Every Film Now

@everyfilmnow.bsky.social

First look at Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s ‘NARNIA’, voiced by Meryl Streep. (via Empire) #Narnia #GretaGerwig #MerylStreep

2022d ago

Quoting this

Bob Chipman ("MovieBob")36

... ... ...oh. So, this is going to be the actual pop-culture "commentariat" apocalypse 👀 You will see "YouTuber Faces" not yet DREAMED OF in scope of bad teeth and poor beard grooming People in the PRESIDENTIAL cabinet will likely speak - angrily and embarrassingly - on this 🤦‍♂️

Alb3rt012

I dig how Aslan has feathers and scales alongside the fur, giving the idea that all the Narnia animals are made from him. Also, Magician’s Nephew has a text describing Aslan as having “the voice of the earth herself” as he sings. So Steep’s casting makes some sense.

Grant!7

We as a society can only say "Meryl Streep could play Jesus" so many times until a director finally decides to test that theory Huge Narnia guy. Cannot wait for this. Been wondering what Gerwig's POV on this universe would be so consider me VERY intrigued

Maytera Marble2

a lion with homophobia in his eyes ❤️

Thomas Ha

@thomasha.bsky.social

definitely misread the trending topic as "Meryl Streep cast as Asian" and was ready to be more mad or confused and instead am pleasantly surprised

2422d ago

C.J. Subko3

I also had the same gut-reaction and then saw it was Narnia and had to reread. Apparently need to start zooming in on my screen, I am an old.

Cautionary Tale in Motion : 👍 🏳️‍🌈 ✡️ 🇨🇦1

There are a bunch of people on the bus wondering why I just barked with laughter. Thanks :)

David S. Bernstein

@dbernstein.bsky.social

You’ll be glad to know that the MAGA folks have moved on from complaining about South Asians at football games. Something even more outrageous has happened. News came out that a woman (Meryl Streep) will voice Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia movie. There is OUTRAGE my friends.

2022d ago